Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. announced today
that George Meekins, 55, and Barbara Meekins, 59, of the 300 block
of Bayly Ave in Cambridge, Maryland, were both convicted in the
Circuit Court for Dorchester County of conspiracy to commit felony
insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit felony theft. George Meekins
was also convicted of two counts of felony theft. The convictions
follow a joint investigation conducted by the Office of the Attorney
General, the Insurance Fraud Division of the Maryland Insurance
Administration and the Maryland State Police. Following the verdicts,
the Honorable Brett W. Wilson ordered a pre-sentence investigation.
A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.

At trial, evidence was presented that George and Barbara Meekins
conspired with John T. Coleman, Jr., in June of 2003, to submit
false documentation to an insurance company after the death of
his mother, Shirley Coleman, and steal approximately $81,200.00
in life insurance proceeds to which his father, John T. Coleman,
Sr., was entitled. John Coleman, Jr. pleaded guilty to felony insurance
fraud in April of this year for his part in the scheme and is presently
incarcerated. Additional evidence adduced at trial demonstrated
that George Meekins also stole approximately $31,000.in pension
death benefit proceeds from the Maryland State Retirement System
in January of 2004 to which both John Coleman, Sr. and John Coleman,
Jr. were entitled. The Meekins could be sentenced to up to fifteen
years in prison on each conviction.